We’re all familiar with the concept by now: a day of frenzied shopping, with the odd fist fight thrown in! Around the early two-thousands, the last Friday in November became the season’s busiest shopping day, taking over from the Saturday before Christmas. This import from the US is now firmly fixed in our calendar, along with Cyber-Monday, and the UK is expected to spend between £4bn and £9bn over the course of the weekend.
We all hope to get a bargain of course, especially during a cost of living crisis, but take a moment before you press that button. The Ethical Consumer says that 98 per cent of discounts on Black Friday were available at the same price, or cheaper, in the six months following the sales on Black Friday! If a deal sounds to good to be true it probably is, so it’s always worth checking it out.
Is it a bargain if it’s going to sit in a cupboard or toy box for years gathering dust before it is inevitably discarded? Green Alliance reports that 80 per cent of electronics, clothing and the packaging they come in are destined, ultimately, for landfill.
So how can we start to change things?
Shopping locally in the many small businesses or craft outlets in our towns will not only keep money local but will help to cut back on the massive amount of extra packaging generated by deliveries of online purchases.
Some people actively ignore the day or use it as a day to switch off the computer and walk away from the artful advertising!
We don’t want to Grinch you out of your Christmas happy-place or talk you out of careful spending – just to be aware that there’s a price for the planet too.